Screen



June 27, 1967 w. E. BIXBY 3,327,853

S GREEN Filed Dec. 9, 1963 I INVENTOR. WALLACE E. BIXBY Hi5 AT RNEYSUnited States Patent assignor to Wedge Ohio, a corporation of Filed Dec.9, 1963, Ser. No. 328,935 1 Claim. (Cl. 209395) This invention relatesto an industrial screen of the type suitable for use in de-watering, andsizing and related operations carried out on coals, various ores and thelike. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved screenconstruction wherein the spacing between the wire elements of the screenis established and permanently maintained with exceptional accuracy.

' In the processing of coal and various ores as well as certainvegetable materials, various operations, such as de-watering operations,are carried out over screens which retain certain matter while passingother matter. Frequently, the success of such operations depends upon anaccurate maintenance of the screen porosity and in such operations,particularly when the screen is to be vibrated, inaccuracies in thescreen porosity, as determined by the separation between parallel wireelements in the screen, are a frequently encountered problem.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedscreen construction.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedscreen construction wherein the separation between parallel wireelements in the screen is accurately established and permanentlymaintained.

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, thecombination thereof, the method of manufacture and the mode ofoperation, as will become more apparent from the following description.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a wire element of the typeused in assembling screens embodying the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of an assembly of wireelements of the type shown in FIGURE 1 resulting in a screen embodyingthe present invention.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIGURE2.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating aportion of the wire element of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating oneoperation in the fabrication of a screen embodying the presentinvention.

Referring to the drawing in greater detail, FIGURE 1 illustrates a wireelement formed of initially cylindrical wire 10, which has been loopedat spaced intervals to form loops 12 therein. After the loops 12 havebeen formed in the wire, the wire is shaped between suitable dieelements which, with an application of pressure, flatten the oppositesides of the wire element, as illustrated at 14, 16 and 18, whileestablishing outwardly projecting protuberances 20 intermediate theflattened sides 14 and 16 and intermediate the flattened sides 16 and18. While not clearly apparent in FIGURE 1, diametrically opposite sidesof the wire element are simultaneously formed in the same fashion,whereby protuberances 20 are formed on both sides of the wire element10.

As the dies shape the sides of the wire element 10, the loops 12 arealso flattened. In this forming operation, the cross-over portions 22 inthe loops are compressed to a thickness which substantially equals theseparation between the lateral extremities of the protuberances 20.Thus, the thickness of the wire element at the crossover points 22 inthe loops 12 is substantially the same as the thickness of the wireelement 10 at the protuberances 20.

The flattened portions 14, 16 and 18 on one side of the wire element 10,are inclined with respect to the corresponding flattened portions 14, 16and 18 on the opposite side, as clearly illustrated in FIGURE 4, Thus,the opposite sides of the wire element 10 converge in the downwarddirection or more specifically in the direction of the loops 12. Theprotuberances 20, however, do not converge in the same fashion. Thus,the outer surfaces of the protuberances 20 on opposite sides of the wireelement are parallel, these surfaces occupying planes which aresubstantially parallel to the planes occupied by the opposite surfacesof the flattened loops 12.

At the same time the opposite sides of the wire element 10 are flattenedto form the sections 14, 16 and 18, the initially circular wire elementis so confined between the forming dies that the upper and lowersurfaces thereof are also flattened, as clearly appears in FIGURE 3.However, the formation of the protuberances 20 reduces the upward anddownward displacement of the metal in the vicinity of the protuberances.Accordingly, traces of the original circular configuration of thematerial forming the wire elements remain above and below theprotuberances 20. As best illustrated in FIGURE 4, this results in apronounced groove or depression 24 in the bottom surface of the wireelement 10 extending transversely between the protuberances 20 therein,this depression being somewhat rounded and merging into the lowerportions of the protuberances 20. Similarly, relatively shallow, roundeddepressions 26 appear in the upper surface of the wire element 10 at thetops of the protuberances 20 therein.

FIGURE 3 illustrates an assembly of a plurality of Wire elements 10,formed as described, upon transverse supporting rods 30 passing throughthe loops 12 in the wire elements. In such assembly the transversesupport rods 30 support the loops 12 in juxtaposed relation and therebyalign the protuberances 20 on one wire element with the correspondingprotuberances on the adjacent wire elements. The looped portions in theparallel wire elements 10 are pressed together by peening the ends ofthe support rods 30 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 3.

Since the thickness of the wire elements at the crossover points 22substantially equals the thickness of the wire elements at theprotuberances 20 the outer surfaces of the protuberances 20 are broughtinto substantial contact as a result of the contact between the adjacentloops 12. The protuberances 20 thereby establish a uniform spacingbetween the wire elements throughout the length thereof.

In accordance with the present invention this uniform spacing ispermanently established and maintained by welding the adjacent wireelements together. As illustrated in FIGURE 5 this welding isaccomplished in an arc welding process wherein a welding rod 32 ispassed through a welding gun 36 and deposited in the grooves 24 in theunderside of the wire elements 10 in the form of a ribbon 34. In thisoperation the rod 32 is heated by an electrical arc established betweenthe wire elements 10 and the welding gun 36. In the preferred practiceof this welding process the arc is shielded by an inert shielding gasdelivered to the welding gun through the tube 38.

While not illustrated in FIGURE 5, the assembled wire elements 10 may besupported for welding in a suitable vise structure which compresses thealigned protuberances 20 so as to establish intimate contacttherebetween and thereby positively establishes the spacing between thewire elements as the weld ribbon 34 is applied.

While the drawing illustrates wire elements 10, each of which has onlytwo loops therein, and further illustrates an assembly of only sevenwire elements side by side, it will be recognized by those skilled inthe art that such illustration is merely representative of the muchlarger screen assemblies actually employed in the trade. Thus,

in a typical industrial screen the Wire elements 10 may be eight feetlong, may have successive loops therein spaced six inches apart, and maybe assembled on transverse support-rods three feet long.

Although the preferred embodiment of the device has been described, itwill be understood that within the purview of this invention variouschanges may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement ofparts, the combination thereof and mode of operation, which generallystated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects setforth, as disclosed and defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a screen structure, an array of substantially linear wire elementsdisposed in spaced and parallel relation, each wire element in saidarray having a plurality of pairs of axially spaced lateralprotuberances integral therewith, the protuberances of each pair beingaligned on diametrically opposite sides of the Wire element integraltherewith, said wire elements each having axially extending top andbottom surfaces between which said opposite sides extend, said bottomsurface of each Wire element having axially spaced depressions therein,said depressions being disposed at axial intervals corresponding to theaxial intervals between said pairs of protuberances and underlying saidpairs of protuberances, the sides of adjacent Wire elements in saidarray confronting one another and the protuberances of the confrontingsides of each pair of adjacent wire elements being aligned andcontacting one another, said depressions in said Wire elements therebycooperating to define grooves traversing said array, and a plurality ofweld ribbons traversing said array, said weld ribbons being eachdisposed in a different one of said grooves, each said weld ribbonengaging each Wire element in said array and thereby fixedly attachingsaid wire elements one to the other in a spaced relation determined bythe lateral extent of said protuberances from the sides of said wireelements.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,729,197 9/1929 Whann 210499 X2,690,265 9/1954 Bixby 209395 X 3,074,554 1/1963 Mullins 209393 FOREIGNPATENTS 1,102,336 5/1955 France. 1,026,251 3/ 1958 Germany.

486,186 5/ 1938 Great Britain.

HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner.

L. EATHERTON, Assistant Examiner.

